Health & Wellbeing

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The benefits of taking Fermented foods in Winter

Leaving for work in the cold frosty mornings, scraping the ice off your car then returning home in the dark wet evening can only mean one thing, yes, winter is upon us.

We all know that unfortunately with winter comes coughs colds and sniffles which form from bacteria in the damp air and blowing around, with the fallen leafs spiralling around with gusts of winds. Winter is when we are more sept able to be exposed to bacteria that causes illness in turn disrupting our lives.

We take out insurance for our homes and car, so why not invest in some insurance for our health and wellbeing. Investing in your health can provide many benefits such as better performance and less illness

One way of investing in your health is through the use of Fermented foods. Fermented foods have been in human diets for thousands of years and trace back to at least 300 bc in China and third century in Japan. In the east fermentation of foods has been part of life for thousands of years with known benefits for health. People from west generally started consuming more fermented foods after 1500 s after the compound microscope was invented and the microbes were studied and found to be living and have beneficial attributes to our health.

The Winter season is when we need a boost to our immune system more than ever. We are going to tell you one way to boost your immune systems strength with improving your gut health, with delicious fermented foods that you can eat every day and add into your diet and hopefully carry on all year round, making a stronger you.

Fermented foods help promote healthy gut bacteria, this is important as your gut which is also known as your second brain and has its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system and contains around 500 million neurons 5 times as many than in your spinal cord. Consequently, your gut can be extremely sensitive and having an imbalance of good/bad bacteria can leave your immune system weak but eating the right fermented foods for a healthy gut biome, will help boost your immune system and reduce the illness related to the cold weather.

Fermented foods help promote good bacteria such as sodium butyrate, acetic and lactic acid to name a few. Good bacteria help to keep for example our intestinal lining healthy and strong. Without good bacteria our intestines can become weak and prone to damage and inflammation.

Acne, bad skin, headaches, bloating, acid reflux heartburn, constipation, diarrhoea, ibs, can all be symptoms of having an improper balance of gut flora bacteria (flora) which are even more reasons to invest in our immune system through fermented foods.

With most of us always on the go, without proper healthy habits formed and preparing meals and healthy snacks to take with us, it’s easy to pop to the vending machine for a chocolate and sweets and have hot drinks laden with sugar which help feed the bad bacteria and starts to diminish the good guys (good bacteria) and they find themselves outnumbered which starts a negative spiral for your health.

So let’s start by making that change and keep our immune system strong throughout winter and see the results for yourself, not just in winter but all year round.

The top five fermented foods that I enjoy myself and have found benefits from for me and my whole family are;

1. Coconut Yoghurt

Fermented foods that contain probiotics will have a big percentage of the bacteria but not all reach the small intestine as stomach acid an other factors kill them before they even reach there, but coconut yogurt will carry it on all the way through so you get a big boost of good and healthy bacteria.

5. Kombutcha

A fermented drink which is made with tea and a culture you can buy in health stores readymade but can be expensive. You can brew your own at home fairly easily with the right guidance. kombucha is easy to take with you on the go and is refreshing to drink as a tea or mixed into smoothies or adding ginger or fruit juices it is very versatile.

About the Author

Author: Sarabjit Lalli

I am from a rural town situated the Midlands, England. Growing up within an Asian background I always had home remedies and natural medicines given to me either to boost my health or to help me when I was ill. These remedies were passed down through generation to generation from India, where my parents grew up, based on Ayurvedic medicine.

My own journey began under unfortunate circumstances. 5 years ago I had some health issues that couldn’t be diagnosed by any doctors. By my own research, trial and error, I came to the conclusion that I had an auto immune disorder and I set about fixing the problem with natural remedies. My thirst for knowledge about health and natural remedies was further heightened 3 years ago when I found out my son had a serious blood condition. I amped up my thirst for all aspects of health and well being to help my son boost his immune system. Since then my knowledge and experience have grown tremendously and I have continued my studies and gained enough credits to be able to insure myself to practise and give nutritional advice. I blog on my own website and on social media to help and give my advice on my research and studies, backed with science.

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